‘MH First’ Launches in Morocco to Transform Mental Health Prevention
Casablanca – The “Mental Health First” (MH First) platform was officially launched in Morocco through a two-day conference held in Rabat and Casablanca on April 8-9.
Held under the theme “Anticipate Rather Than React: Transforming Mental Health Into a Lever for Sustainable Performance,” the conferences were organized in partnership with Mohammed V University in Rabat and ESCA School of Management in Casablanca.
After the first day in Rabat, the second day took place at ESCA Casablanca, bringing together business leaders, HR professionals, healthcare experts, sports actors, academics, and institutional decision-makers. The discussions focused on the growing importance of mental health, particularly within professional settings.
Following the plenary sessions, the conference transitioned into three simultaneous workshops focusing on healthcare systems, sports and sustainable performance, and corporate environments, offering participants practical tools and sector-specific approaches.
The ‘first-of-its-kind’ platform in Morocco
Originally launched in Belgium by Seen-Apps, Human Orga and WingedProw Advisory, “MH First” was adapted to Morocco by the assistance of SNM Consulting.
The platform is introduced in Morocco as “the first-of-its-kind” dedicated to mental health prevention, addressing a crucial yet often overlooked issue that affects both individuals and organizations.
In Morocco, where mental health is still widely perceived as a taboo, it is often neglected despite its direct impact on both personal well-being and professional performance.
“Why is it taboo and misunderstood? There is a lot of silence around it; people don’t dare to talk about it; they think it’s just chatter, that it’s only for crazy people,” Farida Rahmoun, clinical psychologist and founder of Eventail Expertise, told Morocco World News (MWN) on the sidelines of the event.
In this regard, the relevance of the “MH First” platform becomes evident. Raising awareness is only the first step. The initiative aims to go further by placing mental health prevention at the core of organizational strategy, whether in public or private institutions.
In an exclusive interview with MWN, Boussa El Ouafi, co-founder of MH First outlined the platform’s core mission.
“Our aim is to connect several sectors like healthcare, sport management, and also human resources sector, and enterprise. And we want to give them several tools to help those people to better manage their mental health in their organization,” he explained.
From Belgium to Morocco
Its launch in Morocco marks a crucial step toward enhancing mental wellbeing and reducing the surrounding taboo. However, transitioning from a Belgian context to a Moroccan one requires careful consideration of the country’s cultural specificities.
The discussions underlined that the initiative’s launch in Morocco is driven by local recognition of existing mental health challenges, alongside the country’s strong economic and socio-cultural dynamism, which creates a favorable context for such initiatives.
Speaking to MWN, Adrian Bailey, co-founder of Seen-Apps and “MH First”, emphasized the importance of adapting the approach to local realities while maintaining a scientific foundation.
“We come from Belgium with scientific and evidence-based practice, and we try to connect with the key actors here in Morocco to understand the needs in the mental health sector.”
Within the same context, El Ouafi stressed that the platform is not being introduced as a finished model, but rather as an initiative meant to be co-built locally.
“I would like to insist on the fact that we don’t come with a final product. We come with an idea, we come with an ambition and our vision is to build and co-create this platform with all the people in Morocco because we must start with the reality of Morocco and we have to build it, this platform, with the ambition of Moroccans.”
In Morocco, cultural and religious factors play a significant role in how mental health is perceived. According to El Ouafi, this has both positive and challenging dimensions.
“In a good way, because sometimes when you believe, when you have a belief and you have a great culture, you can react better with those aspects. It’s like an asset for yourself,” he further explained.
“But on the other hand,” he added, “if you take the biggest part of your religion, for instance, you can say that if you are healed, it’s not because of you, but it’s because of faith. And sometimes the diagnostic can be postponed,” El Ouafi concluded.
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